


Spring of Our Youth

by BlueRoseDream



Series: All The Things I Love About You [2]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: I have no idea how tags work here, M/M, female pronouns for Arashi, mostly just a whole lot of fluff, some anxiety, supportive big sis Arashi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-23 19:19:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10725552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueRoseDream/pseuds/BlueRoseDream
Summary: Arashi looks back on precious moments between her and Mika leading up to where they are now.





	1. A Seed

**Author's Note:**

  * For [@valksyrie](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=%40valksyrie).



> Bear with me. This is my first Ensemble Stars fic and my first Ao3 fic. Also, unbeta'd because this was not the story I was originally working on. Happy birthday @valksyrie!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arashi and Mika become friends and that friendship slowly starts to grow.

White Camellias and Pink Roses

"Will ya be my friend?"

For a moment, Arashi could hear her thoughts grow silent at the sight of her favorite customer nervously asking for something so simple. It was rather cute in her opinion. But to be honest though, she would've written it off as a little awkward if she didn't know him better.

She knew for a fact that she would've accepted him with open arms into her inner group of friends. There was not a single doubt about it. And besides, he hadn't done anything to her that would've swayed her to reject his sincere request.

But Mika was different.

She knew from his weekly visits that he was shy and self-conscious, but he worked hard.

He was always shying away from the crowd, looking down to avoid people seeing his eyes, and yet he would always come back without fail to complete his task.

Hardworking, beautiful...Arashi would be proud to be his friend, and for him to go this far to ask her so formally was something she considered truly special.

He was trusting her with his heart.

With that in mind, she skillfully put together a small bouquet of fresh white camellias and delicate pink roses from their nearby homes before presenting them to her newfound friend with a gentle smile.

"It would be my honor, Mika-chan."

The wait was over.

She didn't know it then, but this promise would soon bloom into something she would treasure for the rest of her life.

It was just up to her to wait and see.

 

Hydrangeas

"I dunno, Naru-chan. I prolly don't think I'd look nice with all that fancy makeup of yers."

Arashi shook her head as she continued to add on the finishing touches before tucking the hydrangea she had left in the vase on the counter behind Mika's right ear. "Nonsense! You look amazing as always. You just need to be more confident."

She hummed a bit, examining her work carefully to make sure that everything was up to her standards, before giving Mika the green light to open his eyes.

In his eyes, he just couldn't believe it was really him. He was really sparkling.

Arashi made sure to stay within his comfort zone, sticking to more neutral tones that suited her shy friend, and she was proud to say that she has really outdone herself.

Her skill paired with Mika's natural beauty made for a brilliant combo on par with her own beauty. And it wasn't every day that she would throw out compliments of such high caliber.

"What do you think? Personally, I think you look stunning."

Silence.

"Mika-chan?"

He spoke in a small voice, but she could vaguely hear him utter a word of thanks as he buried his face in his hands.

"Honey, are you okay?"

He paused for a moment before turning to pull Arashi into a tight hug. "I can't thank ya enough for this. Yer always doing so much for me when I don't really deserve it-"

"Hey now."

Arashi quickly pulled away and framed his face with her hands as she forced him to look at her straight in the eyes and take back those untrue words.

"Mika-chan. You're beautiful, you're stunning, and you deserve all the happiness in the world."

Tears poked as his eyes as he pulled Arashi back into the hug to calm himself down. Arashi wasn't sure what was going on through his head, but she did know that what she said to him was the absolute truth.

"Have pride in who you are. Not what other people think of you."

Her expression softened as she began to run her fingers through his soft black hair before opening her mouth to speak again.

"Never forget this, Mika-chan. There are people in this world who think you're everything."

 

Cherry Blossoms, Daffodils, and Daisies

"You are Narukami, correct? You certainly are beautiful. I am Itsuki Shu, and this is Madamoiselle."

If Narukami Arashi were to describe her first meeting with Shu, she would have to say that it was definitely memorable. Whether or not she could call it a good first impression is debatable at best.

While he would offer compliments towards anyone or anything he considered beautiful, his words took on a harsh tone around everyone else, Mika included, making her feel a little uncomfortable for her friend's sake. In a way, he appeared rather arrogant and standoffish, often dismissing the things he cared little for or found unpleasant, like Mika's repair job on the stuffed bunny he had in his possession. To be honest, she was surprised that this was the man her friend gifted a bouquet of daffodils and daisies to. She just couldn't comprehend what he saw in this man and why he always took his attitude in stride. Half the time, she wanted to demand that he stop being so rude and start being kinder to Mika.

At least, that was how she felt up until the moment Mika decided to give them a moment to talk while he went to go buy more drinks.

"I must apologize for Shu-kun's behavior. He's not very good with people."

A feminine voice. But from where?

Arashi lowered her gaze a bit to focus on the antique doll that was perched upon Shu's lap. Her features were delicately painted on porcelain and her clothes appeared to be made with such care that she couldn't help but wonder if her clothes were truly made by the same man sitting across from her.

"You're Mika-chan's friend, aren't you?"

She nodded. "He's my best friend."

A pause.

"Mika-chan is very shy and he's always afraid of other people seeing his eyes, so I'm happy that he's made such a good friend."

Shu turned away, not wanting to meet Arashi's gaze directly, as he moved his hand in a way that would allow Madamoiselle to bow. "Shu-kun can be a little strict, but he means well. He wants Mika-chan to be happy as do I. So please, continue being his treasured friend."

_Maybe he's not so bad after all._

Carefully to avoid crushing the petals, Arashi plucked a whole cherry blossom stem off the ground and tucked it carefully into the doll's beautiful, blonde curls before thanking Shu directly for taking care of Mika.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I am not doing this for you or Kagehira. I am simply relaying a message. Thank Madamoiselle!"

She chuckled as she took the doll's hand and bowed her head a little as she thanked Madamoiselle properly.

_How dishonest._

"Kagehira, what took you so long?"

He may not be the gentlest person, but now that she was really listening to him, she could hear the underlying concern hidden within his sharp words.

He's lucky to have someone as loyal and kind as Mika to balance him out.

"Naru-chan?"

He retook his seat next to her and gave her a puzzled look as he handed her one of the bottles of green tea in his possession. In turn, she smiled softly as she looked up to watch the falling pink petals.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> White Camellia- Waiting  
> Pink Rose- Confidence and Trust  
> Hydrangea- Pride  
> Cherry Blossoms- Kindness and Gentleness  
> Daffodil- Respect  
> Daisy- Faithfulness


	2. A Sprout part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arashi hasn't seen Mika in almost a whole month supposedly because of the spike in customers frequenting Shu's bridal boutique. Tsumugi gives her an opportunity to see him through work, but then...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter ended up being an actual chapter rather than a series of ficlets so I split it up. There's probably a lot of mistakes in this chapter but I'm forcing myself not to go back and change the whole thing again so here it is. Sorry for the wait.

Yellow Roses

She knows full well that it wasn't the most pleasant memory, and yet for some reason, it was one of the clearest ones.

It was raining the day she first felt something change.

The vibrant colors of the blooms she placed up against the windowsill stood in stark contrast against the gloomy backdrop outside the store. There was little to do today considering how the rain had a way of keeping people inside their homes, so Arashi spent her time removing the thorns off the supply of yellow roses that came in recently in complete boredom. It's a shame, she remembered thinking, that Mika wouldn't be visiting her today. Apparently, the boutique was to be busy this month with all the women preparing to become June brides meaning that Mika would be cooped up in the store as he helps Shu handle the sudden rush of orders. Even rain wouldn't be able to make him any less busy since he still had to help tailor and make the dresses as well as the accessories. To be honest, Arashi couldn't help but feel a little gloomier than usual without her best friend to keep her company.

It wasn't until shortly before closing time that she received a delivery request addressed to Shu's boutique.

It seemed like a good plan at the time. Arashi would be able to stop by and talk to Mika for a bit and he wouldn't have to go out of his way to make time for her. Her plan was perfect.

Wrong. Her plan was not perfect, and had she known things would turn out the way they did in the end, she would've wished that she had never gone to see him that day.

Prior to her stepping out the door, Tsumugi had come down to warn her to be careful because today was supposed to be a bad day for Pisces. In turn, she asked him to drive her to the boutique to settle his nerves. Natsume was always one to be irritated whenever Tsumugi was on edge, so she figured it was the least she could do for the people who ran the shop upstairs. She could always just close up shop early and deal with anything she might be forgetting tomorrow. And in the end, she was confident that everything would be fine. It was rare that she would put so much effort when she could've just waited until he came to visit himself, but this is how much Mika just mattered to her. He is her best friend after all.

"Alright."

She nodded decisively before instructing Tsumugi to wait somewhere and making her way inside only to be incredibly overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the layout and content inside the boutique. It had a sort of gothic feel to it, which was fitting considering Mademoiselle's style, and she was slightly surprised by how nice the contrast between the dresses and the walls looked. It was tempting to ask to try on one of the dresses or maybe a few, but she resisted for reasons she didn't want to disclose. Fortunately for her, the person at the counter, Kuro if she remembered correctly, seemed to vaguely understand her feelings as he didn't question her interest in the dresses in favor of directing her where she needed to go.

"You're here to drop something off, right? Icchan- Sorry, I mean Itsuki, should be back here in the last room to your right. I'll tell him that you're here so go on ahead."

She nodded in acknowledgment before passing him to make her way down the dimly lit hallway. So far so good... Had it been Shu that was at the front, she probably wouldn't be able to go to the back room to find Mika. Now all that's left is to find out which room he's in...

"Honestly, Kagehira. Have you retained nothing of what I've taught you? Here. Watch closely."

Feeling somewhat curious, Arashi stepped close enough to peek into the room just enough to not get caught in the process only to find Mika and Shu standing around the cutest dress she has ever seen.

"I can do it, Oshi-san! Don't you still have that dress for that one lady to work on?"

Mika seemed distressed based on the sound of his voice but his eyes were bright with excitement much to Arashi's confusion. From what she could tell, there didn't seem to be anything particularly wrong with the dress but she couldn't say for sure from where she was standing.

"I will not stand and watch you make a fool out of yourself with this level of skill! The stitching here isn't even nor are they clean! If someone were to wear it, it wouldn't last more than a day or two!"

Mika nodded. Arashi couldn't see it herself, but Mika seemed to acknowledge his mistake as he quickly worked to undo the the work he had done to the sleeves. It was surprising regardless. From an outsider's perspective, it seemed more on the simpler side, but to her, the quality of the dress looked absolutely amazing that Arashi couldn't believe that Mika had spending all his time working on something so breathtaking.

She took a step forward to praise him and hand over the bouquet until...

"You are enamored by this person, correct? If so, then it would be best to present her with your best work."

Huh?

Mika flashed him a bright smile before turning back to face his creation.

"Yeah. I wanna make it real pretty for her, Oshi-san. As pretty as the dresses you make for Madonee."

"Good. Then if you don't want me to interfere, make sure you clean up those seams and fix the hem. You remember how I taught you, I assume?" 

"Yep. Thank ya, Oshi-san!"

At the sight of Mika's enthusiasm, Arashi couldn't help but feel a sharp pain within her chest. Strange. They were friends. She should feel happy for them.

Unable to find the right words to approach them with, she broke away from the scene to head back to the car leaving the bouquet with Kuro under the excuse of not wanting to be rude. It was reasonable enough. Clearly, they were both busy with a project so it would've been difficult for her to find the right time to cut in.

Yeah. That's exactly why I can't interfere.

Forgotten, a single yellow rose petal lay on the ground beneath her feet--crushed under the weight of her own unease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yellow roses- Jealousy
> 
> Cute fluff continues after this I promise.


	3. A Sprout part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izumi and Madara try to cheer Arashi up after the events in the last chapter. It mostly backfires on Izumi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry it took so long! I’ve honestly been stressing out with work and trying to figure out how to properly convey this chapter. It didn’t turn out quite like I had planned (though that always happens), but at least I finished it. Fair warning: Probably weird tenses everywhere because this is still unbeta’d.

White Anemone and Pansies

Two weeks passed since she failed to make that delivery, yet things seemed to be fairly smoothly as of late. Business was doing well with all the women asking for help with their bridal bouquet arrangements leaving her with no time to mull over any depressing thoughts. Tsumugi had asked her about it when she returned to the car only for her to wave it off with the excuse that Shu wasn't there. It wasn't proper for a professional like her to do such a thing, yet she honestly couldn't bring herself to care that much. No one else seemed to notice and Tsumugi was polite enough not to press the subject, so she figured that it was enough to just forget about it.

It was an easy enough task up until things started to slow down a bit with the arrival of a certain Izumi Sena.

"Welcome to La Petit Fleur! Eh? Izumi-chan? You're not with Ousama today?"

Izumi let out a loud sigh as he made his way towards the white anemone over by the register. “It’s not like I’m his keeper.”

Arashi giggled lightly as she plucked one of the stems out from their vase and began to twirl it. “So I’m assuming it’s going well with him? A little bird told me that you’re planning to propose to him~”

“Shut up shitty okama!”

His face flushed bright red as he snatched the flower right out of her hand and shoved it back in the vase. “I’m not here to talk about me. I’m here to talk about you.”

His expression was sour as per usual but something about it was also comforting much to Arashi’s relief. He has really softened over the years.

“Someone told me that you were acting strange and they’re right. You are weirder than usual.”

She blinked in confusion as she tried to process this information. Strange? She thought she had been acting normally. Her act was perfect so how...?

“Your makeup.”

“Eh?”

“You forgot to put on eyeliner.”

There was a dead silence that filled the room with awkward tension only for it to be broken a few minutes later by a very devastated Arashi. She has never forgotten to do her makeup even on off days, so for Izumi to have noticed that she had felt like the world was crashing down around her. Okay, not really but she definitely was distraught over forgetting such a thing. Truly, Izumi was a man to be feared.

Fed up with Arashi’s lack of a response, Izumi pulled up a nearby stool and took a seat as he urged her to talk.

“Well?”

“It’s rather rude to ask about a girl’s secrets, Izumi-chan!”

Arashi wasn’t really all that offended over Izumi’s usual curt attitude to be honest. She simply just could not bring herself to say anything about what, or who for that matter, was plaguing her thoughts. Things like this were simply easier left alone. They were friends after all. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Naru-kun.”

Sensing the unease in the air, Tsumugi poked in from upstairs to offer to cover for Arashi while she takes a longer break while Izumi casually glared at her until she agreed.

Honestly, these two. Tsumugi worries too much and Izumi is just too stubborn for her liking.

She sighed, rubbing at her temples, before heading over to remove the notice from the door and reopen the store. It would be troublesome to have customers listen in on their conversation, so she escorted Izumi to the small room she stayed in at the back of the store in order to allow them some privacy.

“Izumi-chan, is it a bad thing to be unhappy with a friend’s affairs? No. Unhappy isn’t quite the word for it... Uncomfortable? Irritated?”

Ah...Words are such difficult things.

From the corner of her eye, Arashi could see Izumi’s expression change into a bored frown. “Have you fallen in love again, Naru-kun?”

She shook her head. “Eh? No. You got it wrong. We’re just friends.” That can’t possibly be it, she wanted to say only to be silenced by Izumi’s next words.

“Then shouldn’t you already know the answer to that yourself?”

She paused for a moment as she thought about his words carefully.

If they truly were “just friends”, then something like this shouldn’t matter to her. As a friend, she should be supportive and help him get together with the girl he likes. It would most likely lessen their time together, but it wouldn’t be a problem so long as he was happy.

So for Mika to affect her this much...

She shook her head.

“I can’t.”

She shouldn’t. Mika meant everything to her. She couldn’t do that to him.

“Honestly Naru-kun. And you say that I’m stubborn.”

That brought a smile to her face.

“But who was the one who came to me asking for help getting together with Ousama?” she asked with a light chuckle.

His face flushed bright red once more. “I said shut up! Honestly Naru-kun. I can see that side of you hasn’t changed.”

Ah, it’s always fun to tease Izumi. She truly did miss those days.

He sighed and rubbed his temples—tired of trying to get anything else out of Arashi. Instead, he simply warned her not to let the past get in the way of what she wants because she will lose him if she does and left it at that. Even if she knows that her efforts won’t bear fruit, she will still keep trying til the bitter end.

Not that he hated that about her.

“Arashi-san!”

“Madara-kun, please calm down!”

Surprised by the sound of someone calling for her, Arashi hurried back to the storefront to find a very excited Mama with Anzu in tow.

“Mama, you’re back from your travels already? And hello, Anzu-chan.”

Bowing her head slightly, Anzu politely greeted her as she always would before shooting Mama a sharp glare for some unknown reason.

“Just got back a few days ago and decided to go check up on everyone. Ran into Anzu-san on the way here so I brought her along!”

Ah, so that’s why.

In that moment, Mama quickly pulled Arashi into a warm hug as he happily expressed how much he missed everyone during the time he was away. Blushing wildly in embarrassment, she quickly pulled away from his embrace to turn towards Izumi who was impatiently waiting at the counter with the anemones he had put back earlier. She figured that she should at least thank him for trying to cheer her up, so she grabbed a few extra anemones on the way before cheerfully wrapping up his bouquet with a professional smile.

“Hey, I didn’t ask for those.”

She chuckled lightly. “They’re on the house.”

He sighed, uninterested in pursuing the conversation, before dismissing her with a simple “whatever” and accepting the flowers. He had a feeling that there was something hiding behind that smile of hers she probably damn well knew it—but it was most likely harmless anyway so he simply left it at that.

Once they were finished, Mama immediately stopped him from leaving to ask him if he would be willing to accept the two plane tickets he bought as an early wedding gift for him and Ousama. And in that single moment, all hell broke loose as Anzu curiously pressed him about when the wedding was going to be while Arashi joked around about their honeymoon. Unable to deal with how annoying they were being, Izumi quickly turned down Mama’s offer and left the store leaving Mama to turn his attention towards the unsuspecting Arashi.

“Arashi-san, why don’t you take these tickets then? You can bring a friend if you want.”

She shook her head.

She couldn’t. Someone has to take care of the store. And what would she do with the other ticket?

Naru-chan!

Mika would probably feel uneasy about it. After all, seeing him interact with strangers outside of work was already a big step but having him do that in a different country would be a slightly bigger hurdle. Not to mention, she still doesn’t know how to approach him about what she overheard him say at the shop.

“I insist, Arashi-san. Maybe going somewhere new might clear your mind a bit. I’d take you with me but there’s someone else you’d like to go with isn’t there?”

Huh? How does he-?

“I heard from Leo-san that you’ve been down lately, so maybe that would cheer you up. I was going to do something else but I think this might be better. It worked for Leo-san, so it should work for you too.”

Do I really look that bad from afar?

Anzu’s worried expression only confirmed that suspicion.

“Take it. And if you can’t find anyone to go with, just give me a call.”

He smiled warmly as he pushed the tickets into her empty hands along with a bouquet of pansies he bought on the spot just for her. It was nice. Knowing that even after all this time, Mama continues to treasure people like this. Izumi too. Even though he can be a little sharp tongued sometimes, she knew he cared. She was just unsure.

“Thank you Mama. And thank you for coming to visit as well, Anzu-chan.”

She smiled and nodded as she purchased a few flowers as well before they both left the store feeling satisfied. From the corner of the room, she could hear Tsumugi make his way towards her to kindly offer to manage the store while she is away while at the same time apologizing for poking his head into her business. She felt as though she truly didn’t deserve all this kindness but she was definitely anything but ungrateful for it. After thinking about it a little more, she thought that maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to take some time off.

Naru-chan.

She smiled honestly for the first time in a long while as she clutched the bouquet to her chest.

She wouldn’t leave things like this. No matter what happens, she needed to move forward.

And with her newly found confidence, she pulled out her phone and dialed Mika’s number.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> White anemone- Sincerity   
> Pansy- Thinking of You (used in a slightly different context)


	4. A Sprout part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arashi musters up the courage to ask Mika to go on a trip with her. Much to her surprise, Mika approaches her in person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter to prepare for the chapter about the trip which will be very long and probably split into parts

White Clover

Well, I guess dialing Mika’s number doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll get to talk to him.

Arashi sighed deeply as she swept the storefront in preparation to close up shop.

Unfortunately, based on all the noise in the background, Mika seemed to be too busy to talk for long resulting in Arashi promising to call him again once things had died down over there. Tsumugi gave him a gentle look of reassurance upon seeing her hang up the phone defeatedly as he quietly pressed a bookmark with a white clover pressed onto it “for luck when you need it most”. Arashi wasn’t sure if it was meant to be her lucky item or a simple kind gesture, but regardless of the reason, she accepted it with a small word of thanks before returning to her task of sweeping the storefront.

It wasn’t like it had to be now.  
There was still tomorrow.  
Or the next day.

As if cheering her on, she closed her fingers around the bookmark to remind herself that she still had all the time in the world.

What she didn’t expect, however, was that time had other (much better) plans.

About an hour before she normally went to sleep, she heard someone knocking on the shop door despite the store sign being flipped to say closed. She was curious about who it might be though, so she took a peek at the front door to find Mika looking around awkwardly outside.

“Mika-chan? It’s late. You could’ve just called me.”

He blushed slightly as he turned his gaze towards his feet and embarrassedly admitted that he wanted to see her.

Honestly. He should really save that kind of thing for that girl he likes!

Not that it stopped her from pulling him into a quick hug that caused him to flail frantically in even more embarrassment.

“Naru-chan!”

Arashi laughed for a moment before suddenly remembering the plane tickets she still had on her person.

“Oh, I meant to tell you this on the phone but one of my customers gave me some plane tickets to go on a little relaxation trip and I wanted to know if you wanted to join me?”

“Eh? Shouldn’t ya go with yer family or something?”

“I’ve always wanted to go on a trip abroad with a friend! I’ve gone abroad with Izumi before but it was for work. It’s not the same.”

Mika was silent for a moment as he tried to find the right words to say to that only to end up not saying anything at all and ignoring the comment altogether. “I gotta talk to Oshi-san about it first. I don’t want him to be worried.”

Arashi placed her hand over the bookmark in her pocket as she gave him a reassuring smile. “If it makes you uneasy, we don’t have to go-“

“I want to!”

In that instant, Mika immediately shut his mouth—feeling awkward for making such a sudden outburst.

“Okay.”

She nodded as she gave his words some thought. It was a good sign. “Go talk to him and tell me your answer later. There’s still plenty of time before the flight.”

She ruffled Mika’s hair playfully before bidding him goodnight and returning to her room with a sigh. It’s just a trip. And it’s not like she had to go or anything. She could just give them back to Mama or maybe give them to someone else. Anzu-chan might be able to use them. Or maybe Ritsu-chan?

But...  
It would be nice for us to go together.

Bookmark in hand, Arashi fell asleep to the sound of the clock ticking—waiting for the day when Mika would come to her and say,

“Okay. Let’s go.”

_Of course, I’m sure you remember don’t you? That day did come._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clover- luck
> 
> The last line is a hint at how this story is being narrated which will be fully revealed at the end


End file.
